Female migraine patients had lower COVID-19 phobia and PCL-5 scores during the lockdown period.

BACKGROUND: To examine the impact of the lockdown period of the pandemic on COVID-19 phobia and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in migraine patients. METHODS: A total of 73 patients, including 39 migraine and 34 controls, completed the study during the lockdown period. The patients were evaluated using the Structured Headache Questionnaire, PTSD Checklist for DSM-5 (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders) (PCL-5) and COVID-19 Phobia Scale via the telephone-based telemedicine method. RESULTS: Migraine patients had significantly lower scores in all subgroups of the COVID-19 Phobia Scale (mean = 42.33 ± 12.67) than those in the healthy control group (mean = 52.88 ± 13.18). PCL-5 scale scores in migraine patients were significantly lower (mean = 27.18 ± 14.34) compared to the healthy controls (Mean = 34.03 ± 14.36). Migraine attack frequency decreased or did not change in 67% of the patients during the lockdown period. CONCLUSION: Acute stress response to an extraordinary situation such as a pandemic may be more controlled in migraine patients, yet specific phobia and post-traumatic stress disorder have been reported more frequently in patients with migraine under normal living conditions. We interpreted that the life-long headache-associated stress may generate a tendency to resilience and resistance to extraordinary traumatic events in migraine patients.

Case Series of Headache Characteristics in COVID-19: Headache Can Be an Isolated Symptom.

Headache was reported in up to one-third of the hospitalized patients; yet, the clinical characteristics of headache associated with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) have not been defined. This observational case study included patients who were consulted to headache unit due to headache and had COVID-19 illness. Headache features in 13 PCR-confirmed COVID-19 patients with mild symptoms were reported. Headache was the isolated symptom of the COVID-19 in 3 patients and emerged as an early symptom during the disease course in all patients. Patients specified severe, rapid onset, unrelenting headache with migraine-like features, as well as unusual sensory symptoms such as anosmia, and gastrointestinal symptoms such as diarrhea and loss of appetite and weight. Headache lasted up to 3 days in 70% of the patients and resolved in all patients within 2 weeks. Despite the fact that most of the patients were female and headache characteristics were suggestive of migraine, majority of patients were not suffering from primary headaches. It was concluded that headache could be an isolated symptom of COVID-19, which might possibly be ignored in asymptomatic patients. Headaches associated with COVID-19 included features resembling migraine and/or atypical symptoms including anosmia and diarrhea.

Neurosyphilis: a case report.

Syphilis is a multisystem chronic infection caused by treponema pallidum. It can cause psychiatric disorders including depression, mania, psychosis, personality changes, delirium and dementia. With the introduction of penicillin into practice, the number of cases with syphilis decreased and its incidence increased with AIDS and HIV seropositivity. In this article, we present a case of neurosyphilis that manifested itself with neuropsychiatric symptoms.